BNP gets back candidates in four constituencies

The Election Commission on Thursday declared 81 candidatures as valid after hearing 160 petitions filed against the rejection of their nomination papers by returning officers.

The Commission, the appellate authority, competed its first-day hearing and disposed of almost all the 160 petitions.The EC declared 81 candidatures as valid after hearing 160 petitions. It rejected 77 petitions and kept 2 pending.

On completion of the first-day hearing, BNP got back their single candidates in three constituencies –Bagura-7, Jamalpur-4, Manikganj-2 and Dhaka-1 – after the Election Commission cleared its aspirants’ candidature for the parliamentary seats.

The Commission, the appellate authority, started its three-day hearing at 10am on Thursday over petitions filed against the decision of the returning officers over the rejection and acceptance of nomination papers in different constituencies.

Now the BNP’s valid contestants for the four constituencies are Morshed Milton for Bagura-7, Faridul KabirTalukder (Shamim) for Jamalpur-4, Abidur Rahman Khan for Manikganj-2 and Khandaker Abu Ashfaq of Dhaka-1.Ruling Awami League fielded no candidate for 36 constituencies, while BNP for five parliamentary seats in the 11th national election slated for December 30.

During Sunday’s scrutiny of nomination papers by the returning officers, all BNP aspirants lost their candidature in six constituencies — Sunamganj-3, Manikganj-2, Jamalpur-4, Pabna-1, Bagura-7 and Dhaka-1, while AL aspirants in three constituencies –Kurigram-4, Satkhira-1 and Narayanganj-3.

The EC will dispose of 150 petitions on Friday and the remaining 233 will be sorted out on Saturday.A total of 543 petitions were filed with the Election Commission within the stipulated three days till Wednesday challenging the decisions of returning officers over the rejection and acceptance of nomination papers submitted by aspirants to contest the next national election slated for December 30.